


little stories

by aeriamamaduck



Series: Cyrodiil's Child [34]
Category: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Genre: Family Fluff, Female Friendship, Friendship, Gen, Helvedur is the Divine Crusader, Marriage, POV Minor Character, Post-Canon, Pre-Canon, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-09-03 00:42:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8689930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriamamaduck/pseuds/aeriamamaduck
Summary: History knows Hilde as the wife of the Divine Crusader and the friend of the Champion of Cyrodiil.





	

Helvedur had relocated them from Bruma to the Imperial City, setting up shop in its bustling Market District. Hilde, heavy with child, looked at the walls surrounding them, walls that reached dizzying heights. She had no clue how she would ever get used to living in such an enclosed city, but it was the heart of the Empire, and her husband truly believed they could find their luck here.

And she believed in him.

That first morning could have gone worse, considering that there were other well-established shops in the District. Hilde busied herself making sure every item in the shop was in its proper place, every piece of clothing properly displayed without a wrinkle. Helvedur was nervous around these austere Heartlanders, but Hilde thought everything was going well until Gaius Saturnius walked in with a vividly green-eyed and dark-haired young girl on his heels.

The broad-shouldered and balding Imperial was quite obviously in the Legion, or had been. The round girl could have been his granddaughter, then she carefully picked up a clay jug that Hilde had to admit was rather overpriced and showed it to the man, saying, “Look, Father. Doesn’t Mother need one?”

Hilde barely remembered what went on between Gaius and her husband, only recalling that it had been a remarkably embarrassing haggling experience that they both preferred to forget. The girl, however, stood out in her mind for how attentive she seemed to be during the whole exchange, an abashed look appearing on her face.

The girl looked at her, sympathy in the green eyes she shared with her father. His, however, were as hard and flinty as his criticism.

Fortunately it was over quickly, Gaius Saturnius setting down the jug and motioning for his daughter to follow him. “We’re leaving, Minerva.”

He left the shop first, but Minerva lingered behind a bit and turned to give them a little apologetic smile. At least that’s what it looked like to Hilde.

* * *

“Are you sure this isn’t too much trouble, Minerva?”

After all she was only twelve years old and an only child, so perhaps asking her to watch Harald for a short while was expecting too much. But Helvedur needed her at the shop, and Hilde did not want to risk anything going wrong there. Their income was not as high as they would have liked after two years and it looked like things would not improve soon. As much as Hilde and her husband would have liked to spend more time with their little son they did not have that luxury. Not when they had to worry if they would be able to feed and clothe him the following month.

Minerva had been passing through the market on her way back from schooling and training, as Hilde and Helvedur had been in the middle of discussing what would be done about Harald while they handled things together at the shop. She explained that her parents would not mind, so long as she wasn’t home too late.

The smiled as she held Harald in her lap, looking a little nervous as he tugged at her hair and giggled incessantly. “I can handle this, Hilde. Harald and I are going to have fun together.”

At least she didn’t look eager to get the evening over with. Minerva had frequented their shop even if her parents avoided it, and Hilde feared that the kind girl would grow to mirror her parents’ cold nature. Minerva had become a stocky adolescent, her features slowly sharpening to resemble her mother’s, save for her constant laugh. She let Harald play with her long fingers, and hugged him close when he hid his face in the crook of her long neck.

She watched Minerva kiss her son’s golden curls and her apprehension began to disappear.

* * *

Minerva was uncharacteristically sharp with the boys that afternoon, and Hilde had a sinking feeling why. The young woman’s parents had been dead a year so she’d been on her own in the house they’d shared her entire life. She had mourned then set out to build her life as she (or rather her parents) had planned, adding in a courtship with young Leontes Sintav, once a schoolmate and now training companion. They had been adorable to watch together, Leontes gazing at her adoringly as they walked down the streets hand in hand, reminding Hilde and Helvedur of their walks alone in Bruma.

Indeed, Leontes appeared to be a fortunate man in this courting. Minerva was strong, charismatic, resourceful, and beautiful. Most people they knew seemed to agree on that (save for Adamus Phillida, who glared at Minerva whenever they happened to cross paths). Lately it seemed that the young couple spent more time arguing than holding hands and sharing laughter.

Hilde took the boys to their room and returned to her kitchen to have a cup of tea with Minerva. The young woman sighed, took a short sip, and began, “Leontes and I…It didn’t work out between us.”

The Nordwoman sighed and reached out to stroke her hand sympathetically. “I’m so sorry, dear. But…you’re still young! You have your entire life ahead of you to meet whoever you’re meant to be with. Trust me; that person will be the luckiest in all of Tamriel. But for now, you’re at the age to…make as many mistakes as you want!” It was a wild improvisation.

Minerva raised one of her eyebrows at her and said in a dry voice, “You and Helvy met when you were _my_ age.”

Hilde gave an undignified snort which set off Minerva’s heaving laughter.

* * *

The boys stared at her, their eyes wide as saucers, and were too frightened to run and hug her as they usually did. Minerva stared down at them, terror in her eyes as she took deep breaths to calm her body’s violent shaking.

“Boys, go to your room,” Hilde told them.

“We want to stay!”

“ _Now!”_

They hesitated before sullenly making their way to their shared bedroom. Minerva waited to hear the shutting door before she finally let out in a trembling voice, “…The royal family’s been killed…The Emperor sent me to find a man named Jauffre…and his other son.”

Hilde dropped the dish she was holding in her shock, her heart flying out of her chest as she wondered what would become of them without an Emperor. Why did _Minerva_ have to deal with the aftermath when she had just been imprisoned by that beast, Phillida? She looked awful, her face bruised, her hair tangled and dirty, and a scar marring the left corner of her mouth.

“They won’t let me into my house. They only gave me what money and things I had…No one will help me, Hilde. I won’t ask you to, it’s just…” She looked about to break down and weep.

She gathered Minerva into her arms and hugged her close, suddenly terrified that something worse was going to happen.

* * *

It wasn’t safe to go outside the city anymore.

There were tales of people disappearing on the roads, the only things left behind being upturned wagons or gutted horses. Scorched earth in the wake of Oblivion Gates that dotted the landscape. Rumors of cities disappearing into smoke and fire. Then tales of a young woman closing the Gates she came across.

Hilde almost didn’t believe those tales until Minerva sat in front of her and told her of how things really stood.

She looked tense and exhausted, heavy shadows beneath her haunted eyes. She held Haakon in her lap, her arms hugging him tightly as he asked incessant questions. “How come you can’t be the Hero of the Imperial City instead of the Hero of Kvatch? You’re not _from_ Kvatch!”

Harald rolled his eyes and shouted, “Because she _saved_ Kvatch, horker breath!”

“Not in time,” Minerva put in quietly. “Too many people died before I got there.”

Hilde held Minerva’s tea in her hands, not sure if the boys’ questions were too much for her. “You two–”

“Don’t send them away, Hilde,” the young woman entreated, wrapping an arm around Harald to hug him too. “I missed them.”

She thought for a moment before relenting and setting the cup in front of Minerva. “There you are, love. It’ll help you relax.”

“Thank you, Hilde,” she breathed as she blew on her tea before taking a sip. Hilde sat down, thinking about how quickly everything had changed around them. How Minerva had changed. Strange to think that the girl who had been like an elder sister to her boys was considered a hero, and all Hilde could wonder was what horrors she must have witnessed closing the Gates.

Hakon asked almost immediately, “Are you gonna stay here now, Minerva?”

Minerva smiled wistfully and replied, “I wish I could. I miss seeing your cute faces every day!” She kissed Haakon’s forehead and gently ruffled Harald’s hair. Her smile faded slightly when she added, “But I have to leave today. If the Legion can’t help then…I have to find what help I can.”

“Surely you’ve done enough, Minerva!” Hilde exclaimed. “It’s time you came home and let the Blades deal with this!”

The young woman looked at her and shook her head, her mouth set in a stubborn line that reminded Hilde of Gaius Saturnius. “It’s not that simple, Hilde. After everything that’s happened I can’t just come back home.”

“Why not?! You found the Emperor’s son, so let the Blades guard him and find his amulet!”

“…I took an oath, Hilde.” Her smile looked chagrined. “I was inducted into the Blades and now I’m trying to find the amulet. So…I’m seeing this through to the end.”

She couldn’t be hearing this. Not Minerva. How could she get herself into such a mess? How could she want to risk her life constantly? _Because she’s her parents’ daughter_ , Hilde thought exasperatedly. _All of their stubbornness…and all the empathy they never had_.

“You’re a _Blade!?”_ Harald asked, his eyes going round. “What’s it like?! Did they give you a new sword? How big is it?”

Haakon, however, wrapped his arms around Minerva’s neck. “Don’t go back, Minerva! I miss you…”

Her face seemed to crumble before giving the boy a reassuring hug. “I’ll come back. I promise! And when I do I’ll bring the new Emperor with me. No one will ever have to be afraid of those Oblivion Gates again.”

Hilde sighed and closed her eyes, praying the gods listened to Minerva’s words and made it so. “And…what is this new Emperor like, Minerva?”

Minerva gave her a truly confident smile then. “He’s a good man, Hilde. Better than I expected.”

* * *

Hilde was terrified.

The skies were a dark gray, rain falling every so often over the city, worlds apart from the horrible red she had seen from within her home. The screams of dying men, horrible screeching from creatures best left to her nightmares, and a daedric prince in the Temple District.

All of it and Helvedur nowhere to be found. All Hilde could do though the terrible hours was pray, hold her sons close, and curse her husband while fervently hoping he was still alive.

Then came an otherworldly roar, and it was all over. She did not dare open the door until a city guard came knocking.

_“A miracle! The Avatar of Akatosh has defeated Mehrunes Dagon! It’s over!”_

Then he’d said that the Hero of Kvatch was seen entering the Temple with their Uriel Septim’s last son, their Emperor.

Her heart had plummeted. Minerva.

Not daring to let her sons out of her sight, Hilde clutched their hands in hers and led them to the Temple District, where it seemed that the entire city was gathering.

The damage and carnage got worse as they made their way through the middle of the city, daedra carcasses littering the streets. “Eyes to the floor. Right now,” Hilde ordered, and her boys were quick to obey, their pace becoming faster.

The doors to the district were wide open, people crowding through and practically climbing over each other to see. Their chatter was awed, afraid, overjoyed and Hilde immediately understood why.

The temple dome was destroyed, and in its place was the massive stone head of a dragon turned up towards the sky, its wings held aloft.

Hilde nearly fell to her knees at the sight. A manifestation of Akatosh in the Imperial City! Haakon tugged at her hand, asking, “What’s that dragon, Mama?”

“…The one who saved us, love,” she replied breathlessly, hoping that it was all over and she wouldn’t again have to think of her sons’ playmate and caretaker lying dead somewhere.

She remembered that Minerva was supposedly in the Temple. Looking around at the people around her she quickly recognized Claudette Perrick. She edged closer to the dark-haired woman, calling out to her. “Claudette!”

The potion-seller turned at the sound of her voice. Hilde quickly asked, “Minerva Saturnius. A guard told me she went in there!”

“I was told it was the Emperor Martin. The one who led the charge in Bruma,” Claudette said. “Oddly enough, I was told by Alessia Ottus that once everything was over she heard some _ghastly_ screams that just went on and on. Apparently they’ve only just stopped.”

A cold sweat broke down Hilde’s back at the thought of those screams. _Oh Nine. Let her be alright. Let her come out of there alive…_

The guards soon began to push the crowd back from the temple doors and the chatter rose in volume. Hilde made sure to hold on to Harald and Haakon’s hands as they were moved. They were now farther away from the doors. Fortunately she was tall enough that she could still see if anyone came out.

Minutes later the doors opened and it seemed as though everyone rose to the tips of their toes all at once. Two heavily armored figures appeared first and behind them a much taller figure with a smaller person who cloaked and hooded.

It was Chancellor Ocato, clutching tightly to the person beside him.

“Mother, who is it?! I can’t see,” Harald complained.

Hilde breathed hard as she stared at the hood that was slowly beginning to fall off, revealing familiar black hair. “Harald, start moving forward. Hold on to me.”

Her eldest began to slowly make his way between people, his broadening figure allowing for the people to part enough for Hilde and Haakon to pass through, some people only complaining mildly. Soon they were at the front just as they walked past the parted crowd, the hood finally falling to reveal Minerva’s face.

Hilde let out a relieved breath. She was alive. Hurt, perhaps, if she needed the Chancellor’s help walking, but alive.

Haakon called out happily, “Minerva!”

The girl stopped in her tracks, making the Chancellor stop beside her. She turned to face them and Haakon almost tugged himself free from Hilde’s grip.

She refused to let him go when Minerva faced them.

Her face was spotted with dirt and blood, some of it from a deep cut on her forehead. Her eyes were red but looked dead and hollow, and they didn’t seem to recognize Hilde. She realized why the girl needed help standing. She was barely holding herself upright.

It was only a moment and then the Chancellor bent down to whisper something in her ear and began to carefully lead her away. Hilde’s throat grew tight as the murmurs started around her. Questions about whether or not the Hero of Kvatch was truly alright. She led her sons away from the noise and back home, praying they didn’t look too closely into Minerva’s broken gaze.

_Nine, what happened to her in there?_

The last time she’d seen Minerva was months before, and she’d looked world-weary and harried, a far cry from the girl who seemed to have her future planned out. Now she looked utterly torn apart.

Hilde fought the tears, wondering what had happened in these few short hours that had turned the world on its head. She said a prayer for Minerva’s wellbeing, and another for her husband’s safe return.

* * *

Minerva’s promise of a new Emperor never came to fruition. All they had left was a lifeless statue in the Temple District, and memories that brought them nightmares.

Haakon still woke in the middle of the night, screaming that the daedra were after him.

Hilde had to console him alone ever since Helvedur got all of this ridiculous Knight nonsense into his head. He believed that this time their luck would truly change, and so Hilde reluctantly let him go. She only hoped it wouldn’t end in disaster for them.

It was weeks after the day Mehrunes Dagon appeared and Hilde thought her family would perish. She was alone in the shop, wondering when life would return to normal, or if it ever would.

Then Minerva walked through the door.

Hilde stared at her, speechless and making sure it truly was her. The last time she’d seen Minerva was in the hours after the dragon’s appearance, her face looking lifeless. It was completely different now. Minerva gave a laughing sob before running to her and wrapping her arms around Hilde.

Tears flowing down her face, Hilde embraced her and thanked the gods that Minerva had survived in every possible way. Whatever had happened to her in the Temple was unable to keep her cowed for long. They parted and Hilde looked at the young woman’s face, finding grief and weariness, but also an unmistakable joy that filled her eyes. “Are you alright?” Hilde asked tearfully.

Minerva nodded, still sobbing, “I’m fine…I’m back and…I’m alive…” She wiped her eyes and struggled for breath, slowly steadying it before saying, “Gods, I…I have to tell you something, and it’s…Something wonderful…!”

“W-well, what? What is it?!”

The young woman kept beaming infectiously, as if the Crisis had never happened at all, and then she finally said, “I’m having a baby, Hilde!”

“… _What?”_


End file.
